Audi A5 review - MPG, running costs & CO2 emissions

While it won’t be as cheap to run as Audi’s electric models, the A5 should prove pretty efficient for a combustion-engined car, and plug-in hybrid versions are also on the way with the promise of impressive engine-off driving capabilities.

If you’re a private buyer, you’ll probably be most interested in the 2.0-litre TFSI petrol engines, which are the most affordable to buy or lease. Despite a fairly big difference in power, both serve up similar efficiency of just under 43mpg with CO2 emissions close to 150g/km – figures which rise slightly if bigger wheels are fitted. Those figures are okay, but not quite earth-shattering or ahead of rivals from the likes of BMW.

The diesel is quite a bit more efficient, boasting over 57mpg and 125g/km, aided by new ‘MHEV+’ mild hybrid technology from Audi. This recuperates energy as the car slows down, and then gives the combustion engine a helping hand under acceleration, and can drive the car with the 24bhp electric motor alone for short distances at low speeds. This can be quite hard to judge, though, and it’s a shame there’s no indicator of how much power you can use before the engine kicks back in. We also think that because it costs around £4k more than the petrol, the diesel is still only likely to make sense for long-distance drivers hacking up and down the nation’s motorway network.

It’s no surprise that the performance-focused Audi S5 achieves the worst economy of the bunch. Its big 3.0-litre V6 engine only returns around 38mpg, but that’s actually an improvement over the old diesel S4, partly due to its new mild hybrid tech. 

How much will the Audi A5 cost in tax?

Not a single version of the A5 comes in below £40,000, so all owners will be liable for the luxury car VED surcharge in years two to six of renewal on top of the standard annual amount. This will add up to an annual tax bill of around £600 during this period.

Company car choosers will probably want to wait for the plug-in hybrid versions to arrive, which will sit in a significantly lower Benefit-in-Kind (BiK) band thanks to their lower CO2 emissions.

What will the Audi A5 cost to insure?

While insurance groups for the new A5 are still to be announced, the outgoing Audi A4 sat in groups in the 20s out of 50, while its BMW 3 Series rival sits in groups spanning from 28 to just over 40. It’s fair to say the A5 will sit in a similar ballpark, so it could prove pricey to insure for some drivers.